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Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon has written a letter to the Maryland Stadium Authority asking the agency to study the possibility of building a new soccer stadium for Major League Soccer’s D.C. United.

The letter, dated Sept. 30, asks the stadium authority to focus on building the stadium as part of a green mixed-use project with access to light rail, Interstate 95, Baltimore-Washington Parkway and the Camden Yards sports complex.

Dixon cites developer Patrick Turner’s 42-acre waterfront Westport project as meeting those standards. Turner said through a spokeswoman Tuesday he was aware of the letter and will wait for the stadium authority's study to play out before deciding if it would be the best fit the Southwest Baltimore project.

Demaune A. Millard, Dixon’s chief of staff, and a stadium authority board member, said in an interview that the stadium could be between 17,000 and 20,000 seats.

The city became warm to the idea after the 71,000-seat M&T Bank Stadium hosted a sold out soccer friendly in July between A.C. Milan and Chelsea, Millard said.

"There was a significant amount of momentum built from that game," he said, noting D.C. United's interest in building a new stadium. "We're making sure we're not leaving any stone unturned."

Millard said the city has not had any discussions with the United. A feasibility study for a Prince George's stadium found it would generate between $65 million and $80 million a year in economic impact.

Dixon wrote the study showed that United could "produce considerable economic benefit and tax revenue for the state and for the local government in which the stadium would be built."

“D.C. United continues to search for an appropriate, long-term home for our team,” said United spokesman Doug Hicks. “Baltimore has demonstrated its ability to work with the state to create world-class facilities for the Orioles and Ravens. We believe a new D.C. United Stadium can be an exciting and vital economic engine and look forward to the results of the Maryland Stadium Authority study of a Baltimore city location. Our conversations with other municipalities will continue.”

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